DistroWatch Weekly

A weekly opinion column and a summary of events from the distribution world

DistroWatch Weekly

DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 128, 28 November 2005

Welcome to this year's 48th issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The first test release of Fedora Core 5 and a final release of PCLinuxOS 0.92 were responsible for much excitement during the past week; we'll take a brief look at both these new products. Is Libranet GNU/Linux history? It would appear so, based on an informal announcement by Libranet's Tal Danzig. Also in this issue: a new "ideologically-pure" Ubuntu derivative, KNOPPIX seeks graphics artists, and a quick look at the new KDE 3.5 expected later this week. Our featured distribution of the week is DesktopBSD, a surprisingly intuitive and user-friendly FreeBSD derivative. Happy reading!

The biggest news last week was the Test1 release of Fedora Core 5. As has become tradition in the development of Fedora Core, Test1 is usually just a snapshot of the current "rawhide" development tree, packaged into a convenient set of installable ISO images. This has historically been rather rough around the edges and it appears that the release last week was no different. But that's to be expected from a distribution that has always been a leader in implementing interesting new features; just consider that FC5 Test1 is the first distribution to include the new modular X.Org 7.0rc2, while the Anaconda installer has been modified to use "yum" as its dependency resolution backend. There is also the new "pup" - a graphical front-end to "yum" for handling package updates. If you haven't installed it yet and if you are not keen to help with bug reports, you might be better off waiting for Test2 (it should be out before Christmas), which tends to be considerably more stable than any Test1 release from Fedora.

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As if having Edubuntu, Kubuntu and Xubuntu wasn't enough, it seems that a new Ubuntu derivative, called "Gnubuntu" is about to be born. Mark Shuttleworth: "We've registered "gnubuntu.org" for an ideologically-pure derivative. Have had some discussion with RMS [Richard M Stallman of the Free Software Foundation (FSF)] about this. He's supportive of the idea but not the name... we may go ahead with the name as it is, since I think it perfectly captures the link to both projects. The idea would be to setup that derivative to include only stuff that's FSF-blessed (even if the FSF doesn't bless the name of the aggregation)." If you are interested in contributing to this project (and earn a few brownie points from RMS), read this mailing list post for further information. On a related note, Ubuntu Linux and Mark Shuttlewroth have both won awards at the Linux New Media Awards at last week's Linux World Expo in Frankfurt, Germany.

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Is this the definite end of Libranet GNU/Linux? "On the Libranet front, I hope to be able to post something more official soon, but basically the operation is shutting down." The above is from a recent blog entry maintained by Tal Danzing. Tal, following the death of his father, the founder of Libranet, and the desertion of another developer, is the only person responsible for maintaining this user-friendly, commercial Debian derivative. Disappointingly, he doesn't seem to be able or willing to continue his father's vision, while, at the same time, he has rejected the idea to hand over the distribution to the Libranet community. As a result of this development, we have now flagged Libranet GNU/Linux as "dormant" distribution and removed it from Page Hit Ranking and other statistics. More discussions on the subject can be found on Slashdot and the Libranet forum.

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Do you enjoy KNOPPIX and have the talent to design better graphics for the popular live CD? If so, then you might be interested in this announcement: "Since our painting / drawing capabilities are very limited, Knopper.net offers the following to all interested graphic artists: you send us a graphics package for inclusion in Knoppix, and, if the package is accepted for a Knoppix release, we promote your website or business via a link that you can place on the desktop wallpaper in return." Artists are asked to contribute wallpapers, boot and splash screens, and background images for the KNOPPIX HTML help files. For information about the format and licensing, please refer to this announcement.

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The new release of PCLinuxOS generated plenty of buzz during the past week. One of the most user-friendly free distributions available today, PCLinuxOS has found many fans over the last couple of years, mainly due to its ability to deliver a product which is pre-configured for desktop use and which requires very little post-install configuration to make it into a complete distribution. Proprietary graphics drivers, browser plugins, multimedia codecs and other conveniences of modern desktop operating systems are all ready for use right after the install. The developers have also paid much attention to the overall graphical impression of the desktop, with attractive icons, theme and wallpapers complementing the desktop. Although PCLinuxOS software is supplied in RPM format, the distribution uses apt-get and Synaptic for package management, so there is never a need to re-install the distribution after a new release. Perhaps the only disadvantage of PCLinuxOS is that it does not provide out-of-the-box support for any language other than English.

PCLinuxOS 0.92 - it just works. (full image size: 366kB)

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If everything goes according to the release plan, the much awaited KDE 3.5 final should be out tomorrow (Tuesday). Some reports indicate that the recently released KDE 3.5RC2 is essentially the final release, but let's wait for the official announcement and the creation of the new 3.5 directory before we start compiling or installing binary packages. KDE 3.5 is expected to be a solid and comparatively bug-free release - that's based on the first impressions of the RC1 that has been shipping with the recent alpha release of SUSE Linux and also available as an easy upgrade for Kubuntu and several other distributions. One of the best early reports (with screenshots) about KDE 3.5 has been published by Tuxmachines, while a complete list of new features is available here.

Featured project of the week: DesktopBSD

DesktopBSD

As the name suggests, DesktopBSD is a project that attempts to bring the BSD operating system to the desktop of an average user. Although any of the three main BSD operating systems can be set up and used on desktop computers, they have acquired a reputation of being hard to configure and they often lack support for some of the more recent hardware. As such, FreeBSD and OpenBSD are predominantly used in server environments, while NetBSD is an interesting system to consider for one of the more exotic processor architectures.

But things are about to change. PC-BSD and DesktopBSD are two new projects that have started to build more user-friendly variants of FreeBSD, complete with intuitive graphical installers, graphical system configuration tools, and simple ways to install binary packages or to compile FreeBSD ports directly from source code. Although both projects are currently in their pre-1.0 development stages, their most recently releases are surprisingly usable and even less technically inclined computer users would find either of them an interesting alternative to Linux.

We installed the third release candidate of desktopBSD 1.0 last week, shortly after its release. We marvelled at the simple installer and excellent hardware auto-detection and auto-configuration of all devices on a four-year old Pentium 4 computer. Once the system was installed, we found it amazingly easy to add the full power of FreeBSD ports to the system and start compiling new applications to extend our desktop. Installing binary packages or updating the system was equally simple - all from within a pleasant graphical utility called "Package Manager" (see screenshot below). The "Package Manager" is currently one of the main selling points of this project.

Comparing PC-BSD with DesktopBSD is not an easy task, but because of the more advanced package manager, it would appear that DesktopBSD has a slight edge over PC-BSD. On the other hand, PC-BSD has focused on creating a web-based method for installing binary applications packaged in PBI format, which, while not quite Click-N-Run (a package needs to be downloaded and saved to hard disk before it can be installed with a double-click), is perhaps easier for non-technical users. However, the number of PBI packages for PC-BSD is rather limited at present. Ports can be compiled on PC-BSD using the traditional "make install" method on the command line, while retrieving the ports tree and the FreeBSD sources can be done from the comfort of a graphical application.

It will be interesting to see how these two projects develop. Judging by the activity in its user forums, there seems to be a lot of momentum behind PC-BSD, but there is little doubt that DesktopBSD has a few interesting ideas on its own. Would it better if the two projects merged? Or do you think that the competition between the two could provide further momentum to the two projects and perhaps lead to higher adoption of FreeBSD on the desktop? Please discuss below.

Ufficio Zero is an Italian Linux distribution optimised for use in office environments. Version 0.6 is a brand new release - now based on Ubuntu instead of Arch Linux which was used as the base for all previous versions. Other changes included the following: added simple scripts for downloading and installing non-distributable software, e.g. media codecs, Flash player, Java; included a graphical network configuration dialog; added scanner support; automatic hardware detection and configuration. Ufficio Zero 0.6 is a live CD only, but the next release, expected in April or May 2006, will support hard disk installation. Find more details in the release announcement (in Italian).

Finnix 86.1

Finnix 86.1 has been released: "Finnix is a small, self-contained, bootable Linux CD distribution for system administrators, based on Debian testing. Today marks the release of version 86.1 for the x86, PowerPC, and UML/Xen platforms. PowerPC Support: The largest change for version 86.1 has been the inclusion of a PowerPC port. Finnix for PowerPC is a 115MB ISO that functions identically to the main x86 Finnix distribution. Simply insert the CD and boot while holding down the 'C' key. Finnix-PPC is well supported on G4 and NewWorld G3 hardware, including PowerMacs, PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs and the Mac Mini. G5 support is present, but still experimental. UML/Xen Support: Finnix 86.1 can be deployed as a guest image on User Mode Linux (UML) and Xen virtualization systems." The release announcement.

Damn Small Linux 2.0

A new major version of Damn Small Linux has been released. From the changelog: "new kernel 2.4.31 and modules; new 64 cloops; new prism2 support; updated ndiswrapper support; new autodetected LT winmodems; new naim patched for TOC2 - dropped bsflite; new PCMCIA card control GUI; new floppy tool GUI; updated Firefox and with mine types for mailto and irc, bookmarks; updated pcmcia-cs to v3.2.5; fixed USB hotplug; rewrote cloop management up to 64 cloops; updated iwconfig, prism2, ndiswrapper to show IP upon connection; updated DSLpanel, added System Stats, Date, Time, and others; updated right-click icons for super user on Emelfm, Xterm, and Beaver...."

PCLinuxOS 0.92

PCLinuxOS 0.92 has been released: "On behalf of the PCLinuxOS engineering team, I'm happy to announce that PCLinuxOS 0.92 is now available for download. PCLinuxOS 0.92 features an updated 2.6.12 kernel, hotplug has been moved to udev to provide faster boot times. The fabulous KDE has been updated to version 3.4.3. KOffice replaces OpenOffice.org on the live CD. OpenOffice.org 2.0 can be installed after a hard drive install. X.Org has been updated to X.Org cvs. Approximately 400 package updates brings PCLinuxOS 0.92 up to date with the latest open source applications." See the release announcement for additional information.

Topologilinux 6.0

Topologilinux is a Slackware-based distribution designed primarily to be installed inside an existing Windows system. As of this version, it can also be installed as a standalone distribution using the standard Slackware installer. Topologilinux 6.0 has been released with the following changes: "This release is based on a 2.6.14.2 kernel and Slackware 10.2. It is now also possible to install the distribution like a traditional Linux distribution, though loopmount and colinux mode are still supported. Almost all of the packages were updated and GNOME 2.12 was included." Visit the project's home page to learn more.

Zenwalk Linux 2.0 Core

Zenwalk Core is a new edition of Zenwalk Linux; it is composed of essential system files only, without any graphical programs: "We are proud to announce the release of Zenwalk-core: a new branch of Zenwalk Linux. Zenwalk-core is a complete Zenwalk system without X applications. Zenwalk-core is intended to be used as a starting point to build a custom desktop system or a server system, and for users with limited space on their disk, or great perfectionists wanting to build their personal desktop system themselves. The idea is simple: the user downloads and install the 230MB ISO, then uses the 'netpkg' online tool to install his preferred desktop environment (XFce, KDE) and only applications he needs from the Internet repository, resulting in a fully personalized Linux system." Find more information in the release announcement.

Nonux 2.0

Nonux is a Slackware-based Linux distribution, a combined live and installation CD, optimised for office use in the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking communities. Version 2.0 has been released. This latest release is now based on Slackware Linux 10.2, with upgraded Linux kernel 2.6.14.2, Dropline GNOME desktop 2.12.1, Evolution email client 2.4.1, OpenOffice.org office suite 2.0 rc3 with Java support, and Firefox browser 1.5 rc2. The reasons for the inclusion of release candidates of both OpenOffice.org and Firefox, as well other details about the new version, are explained in the release announcement (in Dutch).

Troppix 1.2

Troppix is a Debian-based live CD aimed at security professionals, penetration testers and auditors, with support for a wide range of wireless network cards. Stable version 1.2 was released over the weekend: "The current stable version of Troppix is 1.2. This release features enhanced support of many wireless chipsets (prism2, zd1211, acx111, prism54usb), updates several tools (Aircrack, Metasploit, Nessus) and improves the desktop look and feel." Read the release announcement and changelog for a more complete list of changes.

Has your DistroWatch web master become a Mandriva hater? Some of your feedback in last week's forums indicates that this is indeed how things appear to many of you.

As a maintainer of a web portal dedicated to the large and growing variety of Linux distributions and other free operating systems, I have always strived to be as impartial and objective as possible. This is not always an easy task because, after all, I am just a normal human being, complete with feelings and emotions. Like most of you, I also have a few favourite distributions that I find near-perfect, while there are several I'd rather stay away from. This is a normal process of developing likes and dislikes towards certain projects, whether based on first impressions or long-term usage. I am sure many of you have arrived at your preferred distribution by trying out several until you settled on one that met your needs.

It's only natural that during this process you also develop negative feelings towards distributions that simply did not work as advertised, failed detecting your hardware, or caused loss of time, data, etc. While I try hard not to let these failures influence my writing, it is entirely possible that some of these past events still have an effect on my choice of articles, and the message they convey. It is also possible that, deep down, I harbour a negative attitude towards Mandriva. I find it difficult to judge myself, so probably the best way to return to objectivity is to trust the opinion of those of you who have expressed criticism about my biased, anti-Mandriva reporting.

Before going any further, let me state one thing clear: I have never intended to discredit Mandriva and never meant to hurt the feelings of any of the Mandriva developers, users and fans. If it happened, it was completely unintentional and for that I sincerely apologise. I would also like to express my gratitude to those who commented on my anti-Mandriva stance: your opinions were an important alert that I am straying away from the path of impartiality and that a change in attitude is in order.

So where does my anti-Mandriva bias come from? Perhaps I really miss the old, pre-bankruptcy Mandrake Linux, with its policy of complete transparency and openness. At that time, Mandrake Linux used to be head and shoulders above the rest of the pack, especially in terms of hardware compatibility and user-friendliness. Personally, I feel that Mandriva Linux of today is a pretty average distribution, but that's my personal view which many of you will undoubtedly disagree. I do like the speed of the desktop and the support for Asian languages in Mandriva 2006, but what does it help if it doesn't work on your computer - due to a dubious architectural decision? But I am not going to say anything more on this, lest I get accused of further bias, or worse, "crusade".

So how do we solve the problem? One idea might be to get a greater variety of authors contributing to DistroWatch Weekly. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find good volunteer writers, but if you ever feel an inspiration to write up something readable (a review, comment, opinion), I will be more than happy to publish it. Any happy Mandriva users out there? Then write down your experiences and send them in! Likewise, if you have some tips or tricks that might be valuable to other readers, why not publish them here? Otherwise, if you leave all the writing to me, there is a grave possibility that your favourite distribution web site will derail from the path of objectivity from time to time.

Anyway, I won't say anything bad about Mandriva again, I promise, even if it fries my CD burn... oops... :-)

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New distribution additions

Grafpup Linux. Grafpup Linux is a desktop Linux operating system based closely on Puppy Linux. Its goal is to be as useful to graphic designers and other imaging professionals as possible while still remaining extremely small and fast. Grafpup is a live CD of only 75MB with current versions of GIMP, Cinepaint, Inkscape, and Scribus. Grafpup is also very user-friendly, with wizards for doing most system tasks like connecting to the internet and installing to hard disk or USB drive. There is also a powerful package management system, "pupget", with a very extensive and ever increasing list of additional packages available for easy installation.

Arudius. Arudius is a Linux live CD with tools for penetration testing and vulnerability analysis. It is based on Slackware (Minislack) for i386 systems and targets the computer security audience. It is released under the GNU GPL and contains only open source software. Arudius uses Fluxbox as its default window manager but most of the tools included in the distributions are command line. The distribution was developed from scratch using vanilla Minislack install and "Linux Live" scripts by the creator of SLAX. The base Minislack installation has been trimmed down to remove items like man pages and unnecessary binaries/libraries. On top of that base a large collection of network and software vulnerability software has been installed - including tools listed on SANS Top 100 list plus many other tools listed on Freshmeat.net SourceForge.net and other sites.

CryptoBox. CryptoBox is a Debian-based live CD that boots up starting as a secure file server, using an encrypted file system. No special knowledge about cryptography or servers is required and even non-technical users can easily configure the distribution via a web browser.

FUSS Project. The FUSS Project is an Italian initiative to build a free operating system to be used in schools around the South Tyroll region. The project has released several release candidates of "Soledad" 1.0, a Morphix-based live CD.

ILEX. ILEX is a Debian-based Linux distribution and live CD made in Spain. It is especially suitable for deployment in secondary educational institutions.

MiniKnoppix. MiniKnoppix is a KNOPPIX-based live CD that fits on a 200MB mini CD for easy portability.

MythDora. MythDora is a Fedora Core and MythTV "All-In-One" CD. The CD will load a pre-configured Fedora Core 3 installation on your computer as well as install and configure MythTV. There are extras included with MythDora, such as MythBurn DVD and MythStreamTV for some extra fun.

ULL Linux. ULL Linux is a distribution developed by Universidad de La Laguna in Spain. It is based on Kubuntu and is currently in beta testing.

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